Adding 10 more nominations for the 2012 Pride Awards. Voting will begin Monday instead of Friday today. While this has been very busy week for nominations.

Had a fantastic "After-Hours" Pride Chamber networking meeting with our many business partners. Word on the street is that Ken with Swan Law Funeral Directors will be hosting next month's meeting and is bringing his famous fried chicken!

Colorado Springs PrideFest now being a weekend full of activities, some folks need overnight accommodations. Completed negotiations for official hotels.

Made a huge pot of meatballs for meatball subs. Just part of what is being served tonight at our First Friday event - The Newlywed Game.

I want to say again and again, thank you to our staff, our extremely dedicated volunteers, partners and Board of Directors, we could not Connect, Support and Empower the LGBT community without each and every one of you. T.G.I.F

Sincerely,

Charles Irwin Executive Director

Hot Topics

Recent Local & National News Topics That Have an Effect on the GLBT Community

Youth get bullied for many reasons whether it is because you look different, sound different, or act different; we want schools to be safe for every youth.

For every 1 Queer youth being bullied there are 4 straight youth being bullied based on their perceived sexual orientation or gender expression.

At Inside/Out there are number of youth reporting bullying is taking place at their school. Sometimes the harassment is so horrific they transfer to a new school hoping things would be different. What is disheartening is that sometimes anti-gay verbal remarks or gestures are not made from other students but from the adult faculty.

There are 5 things schools can do to make Queer youth feel safer in their school.

The first one is to update their anti-bullying policy to be compliant with anti-bullying law HB 1254 introduced last year which enumerates personal characteristics often targeted by bullying such as race religion sex disability sexual orientation and gender identity.

The second is for teachers to intervene when a queer youth is being bullied. A lot of feedback we receive from teachers are that they do not intervene because they are afraid of the "push back" from parents and others in the community. However, know that you can intervene and that the law is on your side to do so. To teachers who already doing this thank you!

Third is supporting the establishment of a Gay Straight Alliance. This gives the youth the support they need to connect with other youth going through similar issues. I had a friend, he identifies as straight, and his parents were getting a divorce because his mom was in love with another woman. Although he identified as straight he was now going through a queer issue and didn't know where to receive the support on how to tell the rest of our friends. GSA supported him.

The fourth is ensure students know where to get information and support on Queer issues. Tell your friends about Inside Out and supportive teachers.

That last suggestion is to introduce curriculum on LGBT people in history or issues. I encourage teachers to post a safe zone poster on your wall, or to celebrate and acknowledge LGBT history month.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker said this week she believes President Barack Obama "needs to evolve a little bit faster" on the issue of marriage for same-sex couples, and that she supports an effort to include marriage equality in the Democratic platform.

Meanwhile, Parker rejected a local pastor's call for her to resign over her increasingly public stance on marriage. "I do my duty to uphold the state Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. I swore an oath to that. I take that oath very seriously, but I have my First Amendment rights to free speech. We all have the right to do that and I'm sorry [he doesn't] understand the Constitution," Parker said. The Huffington Post - Gay Voices - ThinkProgress.org

LET'S REACH 1 MILLION PEOPLE CAMPAIGN...It's a start! LGBT EQUALITY is an LGBT equality movement comprised of members from all walks of life & various & diverse sexual orientation & gender identities, in addition to our family, friends, & allies..

Help your team Win, The Volley Ball team will be focused on the GLBT community, BUT all of our in between and straight friends are of course welcome. There will be two teams. We will play for a total of ten Sundays.

Information about local Colorado Springs LGBT supportive businesses.We support them because they support us.

Dawn King - Blue Spruce Real Estate

422 E. VermijoColorado Springs CO 80903(719) 447-5662

Blue Spruce Real Estate is a locally-owned and operated real estate company. Dawn King, licensed real estate agent, has been practicing real estate in and around Colorado Springs since 2005. She is professional, experienced, and knowledgeable with regard to both residential and commercial properties.

Opinions expressed herein are those of the author. Lunch Break, PPGLCC and the Colorado Springs Pride Center do not necessarily subscribe to or agree with any expressed opinion.

Thank You Rod Uhrig,

03-02-12

Here is a special Thank You Shout Out to Rod one of our monthly donors! Many think we are funded by grants and government contracts. With the exception of one Gill Foundation grant, everything else comes from you the individual. In fact most of our budget comes from individuals. So again, Thank you again for investing in the equality of LGBT people in Colorado Springs.

Here's our list of gradual, fun and doable changes, one for each week of 2012, that may just add up to some big changes in your year-and life.(From Oprah.com)

Find Yourself A Reverse Mentor

There are some things the younger generation knows that you don't. Some examples: how to wakeboard, how to find a King Krule video and what the heck emoji are. Buddy up with a savvy person at least 10 years younger and learn a few skills that might just come in useful for your career, your online social life and your ability to relate to 52 percent of the planet.

It is time again for us to update the list of businesses in Colorado Springs that we the Colorado Springs Pride organization have called with three very important questions. (Seen Below). Every couple weeks we update the spreadsheet seen below and we re-sort to make it easier for you to find a specific business. As you can see we have just began to call all of the "M" restaurants and here are a couple highlights.

In a few weeks we will have completed all of the restaurants and will then move into the retail shopping category. Be sure to let us know if you have any good or not so good experiences with Colorado Springs businesses. We hope you support those that support us!

After more than 17 years of upholding policies designed to stigmatize LGBT students, Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin school district has taken an important step in promoting a safer, more inclusive learning environment for all its students.

On Monday night, the school board voted to eliminate the district's notorious Sexual Orientation Curriculum "neutrality" policy, which explicitly banned homosexuality from being "taught/addressed as a normal, valid lifestyle."

Love looks like what it looks like, and it is beautiful. Sgt. Brandon Morgan kisses his partner Dalan Wells upon arriving home in Hawai'i.

Here's what Sgt. Morgan had to say about their picture going viral:

"To everyone who has responded in a positive way, my partner and I want to say thank you. Dalan, the giant in the photo, can't believe how many shares and likes we have gotten on this. We didn't do this to get famous, or something like that. We did this cause after 3 deployments and four years knowing each other, we finally told each other how we felt. As for the haters, let em hate...to quote Kat Williams, everyone needs haters, so let them hate. We are the happiest we have ever been and as for the whole PDA and kissing slash hugging in uniform...it was a homecoming. If the Sergeants Major, Captains, Majors, and Colonels around us didn't care...then why do you care what these random people have to say? In summation, thank you for your love and support. I received a lot of friend requests off this. I don't just accept requests so if your request was because of this post, message me and let me know. Goodnight all, and Semper Fi."

News From Local Colorado Springs and Nearby City Organizations - Add Your Event

March 9 Women's & HIV Luncheon

On Friday, March 9, the day before "National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day," S-CAP (Southern Colorado AIDS Project) will bring further attention to the need for education and testing by hosting a luncheon at the Antlers Hotel from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. featuring nationally- acclaimed speaker Jane Fowler.

Named as one of the 100 most powerful, influential and inspirational women working in the HIV/AIDS field in America today, she has been a featured guest on such prime time programs as 20/20, NBC Nightly News and CNN, and in print publications like Good Housekeeping and People magazine.

Please welcome Panda Paw Day Spa (Massage, nails, facial, detox) to the 22nd Annual Colorado Springs PrideFest. They will be in Space 21 on Saturday & Sunday July 21st and 22nd, 2012. Visit them and thank them for supporting the local LGBT community!

RAIN, the acclaimed Beatles concert, returns by popular demand! They look like them and they sound just like them! "The next best thing to seeing The Beatles," raves the Denver Post.

All the music and vocals are performed totally live! RAIN covers The Beatles from the earliest beginnings through the psychedelic late 60s and their long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days. RAIN is a multi-media, multi-dimensional experience...a fusion of historical footage and hilarious television commercials from the 1960s lights up video screens and live cameras zoom in for close-ups. "A thrilling bit of time-warping nostalgia...Boomer Heaven!" raves The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Uncanny! RAIN are a quartet of fine musicians in their own right...as The Beatles, they triumph!" cheers the Boston Herald. "An adoring Valentine to The Beatles," declares the Washington Post.

Sing along with your family and friends to such favorites as "Let It Be," "Hey Jude," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Come Together" and "Can't Buy Me Love," and relive Beatlemania from Ed Sullivan to Abbey Road!

Advertising OpportunitiesLeft Bar Images / Banners $10 One Time $30 Per MonthTop Bar Images / Banners $20 One Time $50 Per MonthSprings Nightlife $25 One Time $75 Per Month (FREE to GLBTA Chamber Members Silver and Above)Classified Ads $5 One Time $20 Per Month